(II) Closed Beta System

"Young Lord!" A voice called out, startling Marcus as his eyelids stirred. His eyes fluttered as they shot open, gasping loudly as he shot up in bed.

"My goodness!" A woman exclaimed, startled by him as he turned his head, watching as a dark-haired maid rushed out of the room.

He groaned, grabbing his head before staring around the room confused, wondering where he was and what happened as he recalled dying moments before.

He looked around the strange room, searching for his belongings, but saw nothing.

"Leon!" A woman exclaimed as she threw open the door, tears streaming down her face as she rushed toward him, throwing her arms around his waist and sobbing uncontrollably.

'Leon..?' Marcus thought, staring down at the strange yet beautiful, young crying woman. He reached out his hand, rubbing her shoulder, noticing it was too small to be his.

"I-I-I never t-t-thought you'd w-w-wake up!" The woman sobbed as Marcus raised both of his small hands, turning them over and staring at them before noticing a window above her head, making him even more confused than before.

[Level 20 - Sasha Tuniko]

She rose from on top of him, wiping the tears from her face as she sat beside him. Upon noticing his visible confusion, she asked, "Does my little prince not remember his mommy?"

Marcus's eyes grew wider in surprise before a sharp pain emanated from his forehead, forcing him to grip his head, wincing in pain.

"My baby boy! Are you alright?" She asked, carefully grabbing his arms before shooting to her feet and exclaiming in shock, "I'll be right back with the priest!"

He groaned as the pain subsided, his vision slowly focusing as another window appeared before him, making him feel like he was hallucinating.

[System Notification]

[The soul has successfully transferred. Activating The World Online's closed beta system. You may now use the system's User Interface.]

"Are you kidding me..?" He muttered incredulously, jumping out of bed as he rushed to a nearby window, ripping the curtains open as he stared out over a balcony, witnessing the magnificent estate grounds below.

Moments later, his mother returned with an elderly man wearing white and red vestments. He ignored the situation in the room as he stared at her, "Miss Tuniko, are you alright? I've told you a million times, without the Heavenly Elixir, he cannot wake!"

"Well, then, how do you explain this?" She asked, turning the priest around and pointing toward Marcus, who was standing beside the window.

"Uh…" The man stuttered, his eyes staring at the young Lord in shock as he stepped forward. Speaking in a hushed tone, he made a sign in reverence, "The Goddess be blessed…"

"I to- "Sasha started to chide him but was interrupted when he turned around and gripped her shoulders.

"Quick! You must notify the Lord! Send notice via our fastest courier!" He ordered as Lady Tuniko nodded before grabbing the hem of her dress and rushing out of the room.

"Leon, my Young Lord, you must be exhausted…" The bishop said, stepping toward him, concern filling his voice, "Please, return to your bed and I'll examine you."

"I…" Marcus replied, turning his head toward the priest, "I would like to be alone for a moment, please."

"Of course!" The bishop bowed, turning to depart the room. He stopped in the doorway and turned around, "Please do not overexert yourself and return to your bed. I'll return after you've had a bite to eat."

"Thank you…" Marcus replied, turning back to the window. He opened the double doors and stepped onto the balcony, approaching the railing and leaning against it.

He grinned as he felt the wind on his skin and the warmth from the midsummer sun shining on him, which was a vastly different experience when he was synchronized to the VRMMORPG.

The game utilized a unique and revolutionary method of virtual reality, injecting the game directly into the player's dreams as they slept. Due to this, time progressed much more slowly in the real world than in the game world.

The synchronization, or the level of connection with The World Online, determined nearly every aspect of the game. Most players hovered between 75% and 80% synchronization, but Marcus had nearly perfect synchronization.

Even then, there was no tricking his brain, and he could tell the difference between reality and the game, but this was something else.

'I'm in the game…' Marcus thought, a massive grin again spreading across his face. It was a thought he had multiple times before, but it was nothing more than a mere wish; now, it was reality.

As the System Menu appeared before him, offering his character status, inventory, skills tab, spell book, quest page, and information café, a thought crossed his mind, but the log-out option was grayed out.

His character status appeared as the system menu disappeared. Suddenly, the system shocked his brain as the information of his new body rushed into him, the pain forcing him to his knees as he gripped his head, gritting his teeth.

[Name: Leon Astrahart]

[Age: 12]

[Level: 1]

[Class: N/A]

[Title: Third Son of King George Astrahart]

[Occupation: Count Regent of Othniel Levavot Kingdom]

[Health: 10/10]

[Mana: 5/5]

[Strength: 1]

[Endurance: 1]

[Agility: 1]

[Intelligence: 10]

[Wisdom: 5]

[Available Points: 0]

"You've gotta be kidding me…" He groaned, closing his eyes as he placed his hand on his face, shaking his head before his eyes shot open, and he looked up confused.

"Who the hell is Leon..?" The young boy muttered, recalling that Othniel was a fortress city built in the middle of a valley with impassable mountain ranges on both sides, separating the Free Alliance of Man from the Vandine Empire.

It was the first line of defense, being the first Kingdom invaded by the beast hordes of the Empire. Thus, it became a foothold for the Empire to invade the rest of the continent.

He remembered the event when King George was on his deathbed and his first son, Alec, was set to inherit the throne when he vanished, leaving an open path for Franc to take over.

He opened the doors to the Empire and became one of the Emperor's most loyal subjects, but he had never heard of Leon before.

He looked past the Keep Walls at the sprawling city and found it majestic, vastly different from his perspective when he played the game, as it would become destroyed in three actual world years.

'I wonder if I can find any information in the café…' He thought as he entered his room, sitting at a small round table, and a knock came from his door.

A maid entered, carrying a tray of delicious tarts with tea and eggs with bacon. She set the tray on the table before she served his meal, bowing as she left the room silently.

Marcus ate absentmindedly as he navigated the system menu again, accessing the information café before he dropped his silver spoon, his eyes widening in shock.